Did he destroy his own machine? Was he destroyed at the same time as his machine? Did his machine destroy him? Is this a true story? Can this machine exist in real life? If so, will I find one in a common household? Office? School?

Were he and his machine smashed by a person? Some other animal? A non-living thing? Were there many destroyers (+20)? Few? One?

Was the question asked by him? His machine? The destroyer(s) of him/the machine? Was the question about him? His machine? The destroyer(s) of him/the machine? Was he supposed to answer the question? Was his machine? Were the destroyer(s)?

What does your response mean? for Sufficiently Vague Value of written work. I didn't want to mislead you with a simple yes to conclude that the written work was a book. I could have also answered yes or yesish .

Were he and his machine smashed by a person? no Some other animal? Yes A non-living thing? no Were there many destroyers (+20)? Few? One? one

Was the question asked by him? Yes, beware of FA His machine? The destroyer(s) of him/the machine? Was the question about him? His machine? The destroyer(s) of him/the machine? This one Was he supposed to answer the question? Yes, beware of FA Was his machine? Were the destroyer(s)?

Was the machine a vehicle? Did it crash? Was it experimental? Was the man trying to solve a problem? If so, did the problem remain after he and the machine were destroyed? Was the machine something he could enter? Was it analog or digital?

If, afterwards, someone else built the same or a similar machine, could that someone else solve the problem? Could he do so if he improved the machine? Did the machine calculate something?

Is the location relevant? Time period? Other people?

Is the answer to the problem tangible? Intangible? A measurement? A step towards the solution of another problem?

Was the animal a real animal? Yes Mythical? Legendary but not mythical (i.e., Nessie, Bigfoot, aliens, etc.)? If real: do examples of this creature still exist, or are they extinct? Extinct Will be extinct?

Is the machine a time machine? Yes - you figured that out pretty quickDoes the machine move (in space) under its own power? Is it designed to be mobile/portable (in space)? Irrelevant? Does the machine have moving parts?

Was the machine a vehicle? Yes, a time machine Did it crash? Was it experimental? Was the man trying to solve a problem? Only that he was trying to find the answer to a question If so, did the problem remain after he and the machine were destroyed? the question remained unanswered Was the machine something he could enter? Yes Was it analog or digital?

If, afterwards, someone else built the same or a similar machine, could that someone else solve the problem? Yes Could he do so if he improved the machine? Did the machine calculate something?

Is the location relevant? Time period? Yes Other people?

Is the answer to the problem tangible? Yes Intangible? A measurement? Yesish A step towards the solution of another problem? Yesish

So a man travels through time to the time of the dinosaurs, where he hopes to answer the question: "What do dinosaurs look like?" "What do dinosaurs sound like?" "What do dinosaurs smell like?" "What do dinosaurs taste like?" "What do dinosaurs feel like?" "Are dinosaurs really like what we imagine?" "How much do they eat?" "How fast can they run?" Some other question? Unfortunately, before he can ascertain the answer, he and his machine are smashed by one of the dinosaurs he is interested in. The question therefore remains unanswered. Correct?

So a man travels through time to the time of the dinosaurs, where he hopes to answer the question: "What do dinosaurs look like?" "What do dinosaurs sound like?" "What do dinosaurs smell like?" "What do dinosaurs taste like?" "What do dinosaurs feel like?" "Are dinosaurs really like what we imagine?" "How much do they eat?" "How fast can they run?" Some other question? Yes Unfortunately, before he can ascertain the answer, he and his machine are smashed by one of the dinosaurs he is interested in. The question therefore remains unanswered. Correct? Precisely

Is the question about an intrinsic quality of dinosaurs (e.g., skin colors) Yes , or just about them in general (e.g., Jenburdoo's question)? I think I understand your distinction; however, the intrinsic quality would apply to dinosaurs in general.

So a man travels through time to the time of the dinosaurs, where he hopes to answer the question: "Are dinosaurs warm-blooded, or cold blooded?" Unfortunately, before he can ascertain the answer, he and his machine are smashed by one of the dinosaurs he is interested in. The question therefore remains unanswered.

There is one remaining element, which ties it all together, while giving it a certain Monty Pythonesque quality. I'm afraid that the slightest hint will tip you off and deprive you of the laugh that I know I would get if I got to solve this.

Did the man somehow anger the dinosaur? By attempting to answer his question? With a thermometer in a less-than-pleasant place? Was the time machine responsible for the dinosaur's anger? Did it crush the dinosaur's eggs? Its young? Was the man inside his time machine when it was smashed? Next to it? A little ways off?

This is my all-time favorite Far Side cartoon which illustrates my often juvenile sense of humor. I named the puzzle Absurd Lengths because I often laugh about the absurd lengths that men will go to (and it's definitely a guy thing) in the pursuit of some obscure hobby or bit of knowledge.